Kathleen slowly turned the handle of the curio shop's front door and stepped inside the building, holding the door open for Evie before shutting it quietly. Evie looked at her curiously.
"I care to not ruin Green's beauty sleep." Kathleen clarified, smiling slightly as she walked to her desk. "Would you care to celebrate our victory?"
"I'm not certain you could call it that." Evie had a tired smile on her face. She picked up a book that Kathleen had on her desk before looking up at her. "I don't know how I feel about Jacob's gang. It seems a waste of time to me. He becomes so easily distracted and I'm certain this will take him away from his duties." Kathleen nodded and reached below her desk to pull out two glasses, a bottle of whiskey, and a cigar box.
"The gang is a valuable asset for us. We don't have to concern ourselves with the small street issues." She opened the whiskey bottle and began pouring. "I believe the best action for us to take is simply reminding Jacob of his responsibilities. I've only had the pleasure of being his acquaintance for two days now, but I have gathered that he is not easily swayed from his ideas." She passed the now full glass to Evie and sat down, pulling her own glass toward her. She drank it quickly.
"You couldn't be more correct." Evie widened her eyes in annoyance, taking her shot of whiskey. She had been stuck with Jacob for 19 years now, far too long in her opinion.
"Are you planning on meeting Miss O'Dea tomorrow?" Kathleen asked, leaning back in her desk chair.
"I believe so. Jacob probably won't be back until the early morning hours, if at all." Evie replied. "He wouldn't be ready to meet her until afternoon, but I think we should wait for him. He should be there." She raised her arms above her head, yawning. "I going to go get some sleep." She stood and began walking away.
"Sleep well, Miss Frye." Kathleen pulled a cigar out of the box and lit it.
Jacob, as predicted, hadn't arrived home until the wee hours of the morning. This meant that no meeting between him and Clara O'Dea would take place until after 12 o'clock.
His night of drinking had left a curtain of pain that draped over his head long after he woke up, which he did with no urgency. His thumping came on the stairs loudly at half past noon. Evie and Kathleen had already been wide awake at this point, Evie reading a book while Kathleen smoked a cigar and wrote in her book. Neither payed Jacob much attention as he squinted at the bright room around him, cupping his temples.
"What time is it?" He asked, his voice tight with a pounding headache.
"Noon-thirty Mr. Frye." Kathleen answered dismissively, still scribbling in her book. She took a long drawl of her cigar and reached out to pass it to Jacob. He accepted it gratefully and stumbled into a chair across the room, puffing the cigar.
"We're leaving in thirty minutes," Evie put her book away and looked at Jacob, "Find something to cure your headache."
"'Course." Jacob muttered, still clutching his pounding head. Kathleen and Henry shared a look of amusement before resuming their respective tasks.
One o'clock came far too soon for Jacob's taste, and the three opted to take a carriage instead of walking to save themselves any embarrassment caused by his impairment. He laid in the back of it, in between boxes and rolled up rugs, and stared up at the hazy sky. Every bump caused a shriek of pain to storm his brain and a groan to escape his chest.
As with all of the other meetings the three seemed to have, they walked into an alley courtyard. The only difference between their previous settings and this one was the people. This alley was filled with children playing games and loitering along the edges, talking quietly. All activity stopped once the trio walked in, Jacob falling slightly behind the two women.
